Hat stretcher and steamer.



H. P. LYNCH & W. MECK. HAT STRETCHER'AND STEAMER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. II. 1916.

1 ,214,335 Patented J an. 30, 1917.

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H. P. LYNCH & W. MECK.

HAT STRETCHER AND -STEAMER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. ll, I9l6.

HARRY P. LYNCH AND WILLIAM MECK, F WILKES-BARBIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HAT STRETCHEB AND STEAMER.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented Jan. 3, 191%.

Application filed September 11, 1916. Serial No. 119,569.

To all 507mm it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY P. LYNCH and WILLIAM Muck, citizens of the United States, residing at VVilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat Stretchers and Steamers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparel apparatus, and more especially to hat machines; and one object of the same is to produce an improved apparatus for stretching hats ,lengthwise or crosswise or both, and more particularly for stretching one side of a hat whose wearer has a head which is a little larger on one side than the other as is sometimes the case.

Another object is to produce a simple machine of this class whereby the brim of the hat can be steamed and subsequently dried by the use of a burner forming a part of the base of the machine and generating heat by burning alcohol or the like-thereby adapting the machine for use in places where other heating agents are not available.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for determining the extent to which the hat has been stretched, while the hat is yet in the machine-thereby obviating the necessity for taking it out of the stretcher and trying it on. A

Details are set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View, Fig. 2 a longi tudinal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing hand wheels as employed for the handles. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, and Fig. 5 a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

We preferably make this machine entirely of metal and in two main parts where of one may well be called the cover and the other the table, and the heater is cast as part of the latter. and comprises a top 1 and outer and inner upright walls 2 and 3 inclosing a chamber 4 which is open at its bottom as seen in Fig. 2. Within and smaller than this chamber stands the heater which is in the shape of a The table is annular,

gutter comprising a bottom 5 and outer and inner walls 6 and 7 The gutter may well be cast integral with the table, its outer wall 6 being connected with the outer wall 2 of the table at suitable points by lugs 8; and legs 9 also preferably cast integral. with these parts, support both as seen. At one point a nipple 10 is threaded inwardly through walls 2 and 6 with its bore communicating with the channel 11 within the gutter and its outer end upturned as at 12 for filling purposes, as by means of the funnel F shown in Fig. 2. Obviously when alcohol or other liquid fuel is poured in at this point, it travels around within the channel 11, and when ignited its flame burns beneath the table top 1 so as to heat the same.

()verlying the table and preferably conforming in shape therewith is the cover member broadly designated by the numeral 20. The two members are preferably connected at one side by any suitable form of hinge as seen at 21, and at suitable points around their periphery they are also detachably connected by clamps as seen at 22 one of the latter being turned outward in Fig. 1. The body of the cover is by preference about the shape shown, and it has cut through it two guide slots 23 intersecting each other at right angles at the center, and alongside these slots the upper face of the cover is marked with graduations as seen at 24. In each slot is movably mounted the shank 25 of a depending hook whose bill 26 passes under and is secured to a segmental stretcher 27 which may well be a block of wood. The upper end of certain of the shanks, as on shaft 48, carries a split sleeve 28 whose sides are capable of being drawn together by means of a set screw 29, and within the sleeve is rotatably mounted a nut 30 having a cylindrical exterior and a head 31 standing against the inner end of the sleeve as best seen in Fig. 4. The upper ends of the remaining shanks are also threaded to form nuts engaging a shaft 42. It follows that when the screw 29 is tight sued the nut is clamped within the sleeve and may not rotate, but when the screw is loosened the nut is permitted to swivel in or to be drawn completely out of the sleeve.

Mounted in suitable bearings on an upstanding rim 41 which surrounds the cover 20 are two shafts 42 and 43 whereof one stands at a higher level than the other as seen in Fig. 2 and passes across the same at the center of the machine; and one or both ends of each shaft are provided with handles which may be wheels as seen at 4&4 in Fig. 3, or keys may be applied to squared ends 45 of the shafts. Each shaft is threaded in opposite directions from its center for a distance outward toward both ends, and the nuts are correspondingly threaded as will be understood. WVhen said nuts on shaft 43 are locked Within the sleeves 28 it is obvious that rotation of the proper shaft will cause them to separate from or approach toward each other according to the direction in which the handle is turned, and the rotation of one shaft in no way affects the other.

The use of this machine is perhaps best seen in Fig. 2 wherein the letter B designates the brim andC the crown of a straw hat which it is desired'to stretch and steam, and P-P are two pads as of felt or the -like. The cover 20 is raised, one pad laid on'the top 1 of the table, the hat inverted and put in place with its brim B on said pad, the other pad laid upon the brim, and the cover turned down on its hinge 21 and secured in place by the clamps 22. The hat brim may be pressed between dry pads, or the latter will first have been moistened if it is desired to steam the hat. If the hat is to be stretched, the clamps 22' are not yet set up very tight. If heatis to be applied alcohol is poured. in where indicated and flows around the channel 11 within the gutter, and when it is ignited its flame warms the table top 1 and the moist pads above it. To stretch the crown C of the hat, the proper shaft is rotated in the proper direction to cause the nuts to travel outward on its threaded ends, and in their movement they carry the stretching blocks 27. Thus the operator may stretch the hat longitudinally or transversely or both, and the position of theouter end of each sleeve with respect to the graduations 2-1 will indicate the extent to which the hat has been stretched. It is possible with our machine to stretch one side of a hat to a greater extent than, the other. When this is to be done the longitudinal screw-shaft 4:2 with its stretching blocks is adjusted first, then the transverse shaft 42 is adjusted until its blocks fit closely within the crown C, then the screw 29 is loosened on that side of the hat which it is not desired to stretch further, and thereafter further. rotation of the shaft 43 will not move that sleeveand its block 27 but will move the other, and'only one side of-the hat will be stretched. It will befound best to set up the clamps 22 after the crown has been stretched, because the brim should be loose between the pads while the stretching is taking place. Finally the fluid fuel is applied and lighted,

and the heat from its flame steams the crown as long as dampness remains in the pads, and thereafter dries the brim in its flattened condition.

What we claim is:

1. In a hat stretcher, the combination with upper and lower members for embracing the hat brim, the lower member having an opening for the hat crown and the upper member having guide slots crossing at its center; of shafts mounted in bearings on said upper member and crossing each other over its center, the ends of each being: oppositely threaded from its center outward, nuts mounted on such threaded ends of certain shafts and cylindrical on their exterior, elements loosely embracing the cylindrical nuts, means for tightening them thereon at will, stretching blocks beneath the upper member, and supports connecting the blocks with said elements. I

2. In a hat stretcher, thecombination with an annular base, a member overlying the same and having crossed slots, and bearings on the member in line with said slots, of shafts journaled in said bearings and crossing and out of engagement with each other.

above the center of said member, each shaft being oppositely threaded from its center outward and having a handle at one extremity, a nut mounted on each end of its respective shaft and cylindrical on its exterior and having a head on itsinner end, a I

split sleeve engaging said cylindrical exterior, means for manually clamping: the sleeve in such engagement to prevent the rotation of the nut, astretching block below said member, and a support connectingthe sleeve and block and passing through one of said slotsp 3. In a hat stretcher, the combination with an annular base, a member overlying the same and having crossed slots, and bearings on the member in line with said slots; of shafts j ournaled in said bearings and crossing and out of engagement with each other above the center of said member, each shaft being oppositely threaded from its center outward and having a handle at one extremity, a nut mounted on each end of its respective shaft and cylindrical on its exterior, a split sleeve loosely engaging such exterior, a set screw for clamping it thereon to prevent rotation of the nut, a hook whose shank depends from the sleeve through one of said slots, and a itretching block supported by the bill of the 4:. In a hat stretcher, the combination of a base, a member overlying the same and having slots crossing at its center and graduations alongside eachslot, elements movable on the member along its graduations,-sup ports depending from the elements through the slots, stretching blocks carried by the supports, and means for moving the elements outward or inward in pairs or singly at will.

5. In a hat stretcher, the combination of a base, a member overlying the same and having slots crossing at its center and graduations alongside each slot, elements movable on the member along its graduations, supports depending from the elements through the slots, stretching blocks carried by the supports, shafts journaled in said member and each having its ends oppositely threaded, nuts engaging the threads thereof, and means for connecting a respective nut with its corresponding element at will.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an annular table having a top and outer and inner depending walls forming a chamber, an annular gutter standing within the chamber and having a bottom and outer and inner walls, and means for supplying fiuid fuel to said gutter; of a cover overlying the table, and means for pressing it downward to clamp a hat brim thereon.

7. A hat stretching machine comprising a set of stretching blocks, means whereby certain of said blocks may be adjusted longitudinally simultaneously, and means providing for initial simultaneous and subsequent independent lateral adjustment of other blocks.

8. A hat stretching machine comprising a set of stretching blocks, a support for the hat, means movably related to said support whereby certain of said blocks may be adjusted longitudinally simultaneously, and means providing for initial simultaneous and subsequent independent lateral adjustment of other blocks.

9. A hat stretching machine comprising a support for holding a hat in an inverted position and having a frame portion to receive the brim of the hat, and a central chamber into which the crown of the hat projects downwardly, and stretching blocks arranged in and exposed above the inverted hat and providing for longitudinal stretching and for unequal lateral or side stretching of the hat.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

H. P. LYNCH. WILLIAM MECK.

Witnesses as to signatures: J. FRANK REINIG, FRED H. SNYDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

